I have two supportive loving parents. A sister who is the most compassionate goofy girl I know. My oldest sister just had a child with her husband, which is a gift in itself. They are doing well for themselves. Not to mention, I have two sets of healthy grandparents filled with much wisdom.
I have food to eat, clothes to wear, friends to confide in, and opportunities for education. My biggest blessing is that I was introduced to Christ at an early age. My parents forced me to go to church every Sunday (I complained at the time but grateful now). I learned a basic understanding of Jesus and the Bible, from church, my parents, sisters, and friends. Although I have not always followed God in the way that I should, it brought me to where I am today.
When I was younger I went through my "ungrateful brat, not realizing what I had" stage. I see now that I am blessed beyond belief and I cannot stress this enough.
The funny thing is, I owe my newborn baby nephew to this sudden thought. My sister Janet and her husband Eddie are going to be excellent parents to this child. Baby Edward is going to grow up with his head on straight thanks to these two. Like baby E., I grew in a loving nurturing home. Barely a week old and the little guy is teaching me something!
So why do I deserve this? Why am I, a mere man no different then thy neighbor, so privileged? So many others are born into broken homes. Millions of people are starving to death in third world countries. Some people have never heard the name "Jesus". It is sad to look at the world and see the pain and suffering.
Recently, Tenth Avenue North (a modern rock Christian band) released a new album called "Cathedrals". The idea behind the album is that we are His cathedrals. Our lives are not about what dreams we can realize or goals we can reach. A cool thing about my purpose here is to bring Jesus along with me, whether it's at my job or school. Another point to the album is that our calling to one another is to be a place of sanctuary and rest.God didn't bless me because He thought I was so much greater than everyone else in the world. He chose me to have a greater responsibility to carryout His purpose - to be His cathedrals. The thought amazes me.
Even it's something as simple as holding a door, asking someone how their day was, buying someone a coffee, it all makes a difference on someone's life. I wrote this in my planner today in class as a constant reminder and I will say it once more:
We were blessed to be a blessing.
This post is dedicated to my nephew, Edward James Walsh. I can't wait to meet this beautiful little blessing.
